Harnessing Bacillus subtilis –Moss Synergy: Carbon–Structure Optimization for Erosion-Resistant Barrier Formation in Cold Mollisols

Tianxiao Li, Shunli Zheng, Zhaoxing Xiao, Qiang Fu (), Fanxiang Meng (), Mo Li, Dong Liu and Qingyuan Liu
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Tianxiao Li: School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Shunli Zheng: School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Zhaoxing Xiao: School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Qiang Fu: School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Fanxiang Meng: College of Water Conservancy and Electric Power, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150030, China
Mo Li: School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Dong Liu: School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Qingyuan Liu: School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-31

Abstract: Soil degradation exerts profound impacts on soil ecological functions, global food security, and human development, making the development of effective technologies to mitigate degradation a critical research focus. Microorganisms play a leading role in rehabilitating degraded land, improving soil hydraulic properties, and enhancing soil structural stability. Mosses contribute to soil particle fixation through their unique rhizoid structures; however, the mechanisms underlying their interactions in mixed inoculation remain unclear. Therefore, this study addresses soil and water loss caused by rainfall erosion in the cold black soil region. We conducted controlled laboratory experiments cultivating Bacillus subtilis and cold-adapted moss species, evaluating the erosion mitigation effects of different biological treatments under gradient slopes (3°, 6°, 9°) and rainfall intensities (70 mm h −1 , 120 mm h −1 ), and elucidating their carbon-based structural reinforcement mechanism. The results indicated that compared to the control group, Treatment C significantly increased the mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of soil aggregates by 121.6% and 76.75%, respectively. In separate simulated rainfall events at 70 mm h −1 and 120 mm h −1 , Treatment C reduced soil loss by 95.70% and 96.75% and decreased runoff by 38.31% and 67.21%, respectively. Crucially, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) loss rate in Treatment C was only 21.98%, significantly lower than that in Treatment A (32.32%), Treatment B (22.22%), and the control group (51.07%)—representing a 59.41% reduction compared to the control. This demonstrates the following: (1) Bacillus subtilis enhances microbial metabolism, driving carbon conversion into stable pools, while mosses reduce carbon leaching via physical barriers, synergistically forming a dual “carbon protection–structural reinforcement” barrier. (2) The combined inoculation optimizes soil structure by increasing the proportion of large soil particles and enhancing aggregate stability, effectively suppressing soil loss even under extreme rainfall erosion. This study elucidates, for the first time, the biological pathway through which microbe–moss interactions achieve synergistic carbon sequestration and erosion resistance by regulating aggregate formation and pore water dynamics. It provides a scalable “carbon–structure”-optimized biotechnology system (co-inoculation of Bacillus subtilis and moss) for the ecological restoration of the cold black soil region.

Keywords: soil bio-amendment; chilly moss; artificial inoculation technique; soil and water conservation; soil structure; rainfall erosion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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